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Byram PD arrested MBN director's son on felony drug charge. What happened to the case?

Police reviewed surveillance video from the Byram Walmart, spoke to two employees who witnessed the alleged crime and seized his cell phone, 60 doses of an opioid pain reliever and a prescription, police records show.

“(Byram police) called in a bureau agent that I believe we handed the case off to,” Thompson said.

Thompson also reached out to Dowdy Jr. personally.

“He is a friend of mine, and his son got arrested by my officers," Thompson said.

According to text records obtained by the Clarion Ledger, Thompson texted Dowdy Jr. at 10:29 a.m. the day after the arrest.

"Can you talk?" the text read.

They spoke for about 15 to 20 minutes, Thompson recalled, and Dowdy Jr. apologized for his son's actions and said he wasn't looking for any favors.

Thompson said he could not remember specifically what he told Dowdy Jr. about MBN's involvement in the case, other than an "agent was helping us with it."

“His words to me were that he expected me to do my job," Thompson said. "...Sometimes cops call other cops and ask for favors … He proactively said no."

Dowdy III was charged with a felony drug violation in city court, according to municipal court records, and he had a hearing the day after his arrest.

That afternoon, Thompson texted Dowdy Jr. with the terms of his son's release.

"$40,000 bond with e-hawk monitor and can't leave the state," he wrote.

"Thank you," Dowdy Jr. replied.

Who's in charge?

The Clarion Ledger requested the incident and arrest reports from both Byram police and MBN. Byram police produced the reports. MBN said it did not have any.

When asked for comment on the status of the case, MBN spokesman Johnny Poulos sent a statement saying Byram police provided the case information and MBN assigned it a "standard assisting agency intel case number."

"Any information regarding the current status of the arrest charge would have to come from the arresting agency — Byram P.D.," the statement said.

When asked about Poulos' statement, Thompson said via text: "Our portion of the case was cleared by Dowdy's arrest ... It's up to MBN to further the investigation."

According to the incident report of Dowdy III's arrest, there was another suspect who went to the Byram Walmart a day prior with a fraudulent prescription. Dowdy III was "attempting to obtain the fraudulent prescription" when he was arrested.

"MBN was given the investigation because (Dowdy III) only picked up the fraudulent prescription. The original charge (against Dowdy III) stayed with us because we made the arrest," Thompson wrote via text. "MBN took the case to find the other persons responsible for the actual prescription that was fraudulent. It appears that MBN and I are saying the same things, just from [our] different perspectives."

As the Clarion Ledger tried to gain a clearer picture status of the investigations and the case, MBN and Byram police each deferred to the other.

During a phone call with the Clarion Ledger, Thompson emphasized that the case has been handled appropriately.

“Any allegation of interference is just completely, totally a lie,” Thompson said of the MBN director. “... John Dowdy went out of his way to say he’s not getting involved.”

Thompson stressed that his department did not handle the case any differently because of who was arrested.

"We didn't do anything special," Thompson said.

Where's the case now?

The municipal court record says Dowdy III's case has been bound over to a grand jury, but it does not appear a grand jury has heard the case yet.

Thompson said the Hinds County District Attorney's Office often fails to prosecute drug crimes.

"We've got an absent district attorney right now," Thompson said.

Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith, who did not seek re-election in order to run — unsuccessfully — for governor, said there can't be any prosecution right now because his office has received nothing related to Dowdy III.

Reached Tuesday morning, Dowdy III declined to comment on the status of his case.

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Robert Shuler Smith, Democratic candidate for governor, addresses the crowd at the pavilion in Founders Square at the Neshoba County Fair Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019.(Photo: Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger)

Shuler Smith said he was unaware of the arrest until the Clarion Ledger contacted him and that he would have expected a briefing by now.

It's unclear why Shuler Smith's office has not yet received the case file from the municipal court.

Shuler Smith said when a criminal case is bound over to a grand jury, that means the case is ready to be presented before a grand jury, which will then decide whether to indict someone.

When asked about MBN's involvement in the Dowdy III case, Shuler Smith was concerned.

“That would be a serious conflict to turn it over to the agency where his father works,” he said.